Machine for forming hollow containers for confectionery.



0. F. GRANLUND.-

MACHINE FOR FORMING HOLLOW CONTAINERS FOR GONFECTIONERY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24. I914.

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0. F. GRANLUND.

MACHINE FOR FORMINGHOLLOW CONTAINERS FOR CONFECTIONERY. APPLICATIONFILED AUG-24, 1914.

1,236,837. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

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OSCAR F. GRANLUND, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING- HOLLOW CONTAINERS FOR OONFECTIONERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14. rear.

Application filed August 2 4, 1914. Serial No. 858,188.

ers, of chocolate or any other suitable material, which are adapted toreceive a filling of confectionery or liquid material. A further objectis to provide means for forming a hollow containerwhich will be ofuniform thickness throughout. Other objects will appear in the detaileddescription and annexed claims to follow. a

In general, the manufacture of coated confections has consisted,heretofore, in the formation of the confection proper in the form of acore or'center ofcreamlike consistency. These cores or centers aresubsequently covered with a coating of any suitable material, forexample chocolate, by dip- ,ping or by subjectionto a stream of thecoating material. Such methods are commonly employed in the manufactureof choc-.

olate creams, for example. However, such a method, obviously, cannot beemployed when the confectionery filling is liquid or semi-liquid incharacter. My invention,

however, allows the use of a liquid filling as well as any of the otherfillings commonly employed.

The preferred form of my device comprises a series of mold boards eachformed with.a plurality of recesses of any desired shaped formedtherein, a refrigerating or cooling device, a coating apparatus, andmeans to support and propel the mold boards through the cooling deviceand subsequently through the coating apparatus. The

coating apparatus comprises a suitable vat or kettle containing thecoating material, a plurality of nozzles arranged in adjustable relationimmediately below the path of the mold boards, suitable connecting meansbetween the vat and the nozzles, and a pump to force the coatingmaterial to the nozzles. In general, the nioldboards are first passedthrough the refrigerating device and thorcoating material.

oughly chilled. Subsequently, they pass to the coating apparatus, andthe recesses in the bottom of the board are successively subjected tothe coating material issuing from the nozzles. As'the coating materialcomes in contact with the chilled mold boards, it is congealed in theportions adhering to the boards. The congealing action is uniform overthe surfaces of the recesses, and a hollow container of uniformthickness throughout is obtained. Any surplus material not congealedpasses downwardly to the vat of By suitably varying the temperatures ofthe coating material and the mold "boards and by varying the pressure ofthe stream of coating material and the proximity of the nozzles to themold boards, it is possible to obtain a hollow container of any desiredthickness.

The preferred embodiment of my apparatus for forming these hollowcontainers is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1is an elevation partly in section of the complete apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof taken on the line 22 of Fig. land looking in the direction of the arrows. v

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, lis a suitable casing-within which is housedthe coating apparatus. A steam or hot Water jacketed kettle 2 of commonform is located within and in the lower part of the casing 1. The kettle2' is adapted to contain the coating material which may be led therefromthrough a suitable pipe 20 to a pump 3. I The latter may be of,anysuitable form and is indicated in the drawingsin conventional form only..Passing upwardly fromthe pump 3 is a pipe 21 to which are connected aplurality of flexible connections 5 (see Fig. 3). The latter are adaptedto convey the coating material to nozzles & which are supported andvertically adjustable in a bracket 22 attached to the casing l. x

I Immediately abovethe nozzles 4. is a horizontal trackway 9 (see Figs.2 and 3), preferably of angle iron construction, which is adaptedtoreceive and supports plurality of mold boards 6 to be later described.The

trackway 9 passes entirely through the cas ing and extends therefromthrough a cooling apparatus 10 of any suitable form to a device forpropelling the mold boards along the trackway.

This device comprises a pair of standards 18 in which are rotatablymounted a pair of shafts 1-1 and 15 carrying sprocket wheels and chains13. The shaft 15 is adapted to be driven from the power shaft 16 atvariable speeds by the cone pulleys and belt clearly shown in Fig. 2.The standards 18 also support the extension of the trackway 1'),previously referred to, and a suitable magazine 11. The latter ispreferably constructed of angle iron and is adapted to receive a pile ofmold boards (3, as shown in Fig. 1. The latter are notched on eachcorner as indicated at 7, and this notch extends from each edge of theboard 6 inwardly to a position directly over the chains 13. The chains13 are provided with upstanding lugs 12 which are adapted to engage theboard 6 in the notched portion 7 and to propel the same along thetrackway 9. These lugs are suitably arranged on the chains 3 to propelwithout interruption a continuous series of mold boards (3 along thetrackway 9, through the cooling apparatus 10 to the coating apparatus inthe casing 1.

The under side of the mold boards 6 are.

formed with numerous rows of recesses 17 (see Figs. 1 and 3) which maybeof any desired form. These boards .6 enter and leave the coolingapparatus 10 through horizontal slots just large enough to permit thepassage and they are thoroughly chilled just before they enter through anarrow aperture into the casing 1. The nozzles 4 are located closelyadjacent the side of the casing 1 on which the boards 6 enter and applycoating material to the surfaces of the recesses. The nozzles 1 arearranged in a transverse row and are equal in number to the rows ofrecesses 17. Furthermore, each nozzle is arranged to overlap each recessv 17, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that the entire surface of eachrecess 17 is covered with coating material. from the mold boards 6 andthe pressure of the coating material from the pump 3 is so adjusted thatthe coating material issues from the nozzles with just sufficientpressure to reach the top walls of the recesses 17. As a matter of fact,the material bubbles up from the nozzles 4 and against the walls of therecesses 17 in a manner analagous to the common drinking nozzle. Thematerial as it strikes and adheres to the walls of the recesses iscongealed by the cool mold boards 6, and a hollow container of uniformthickness results. As the coated recesses 17 pass away from the nozzles,most of the surplus material which is uncongealed drops to the bot tomof. the easing into the kettle 2. The boardsleaving the casing through asmall The distance of each nozzle 4' horizontal slot pass to anysuitable delivering apparatus (not shown). The temperature of thematerial may be suitably adjusted by the jacketed kettle 2 and thetemperature of the casing 1 by the coils 8 located in the upper portionthereof.

Thus, I have provided a unique apparatus for forming a hollow containerfor confectionery material. It is recognized that many changes andmodifications may be made in the structure herein disclosed withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention which is more truly defined inthe appended claims, than in the foregoing specific description of thepreferred form.

WVhat I claim is: v

1. A machine for forming a hollow container for confectionery,comprising a suitable casing, a trackway therein, mold boards adapted tomove on said trackway and formed with recesses in the undersidesthereof, a plurality of nozzles mounted in said casing below said boardsand transversely to the path thereof, means to force streams of coatingmaterial through said nozzles, means adjacent said casing to cool saidboards prior to their entrance to said casing, and automatic means topropel said boards along said trackway first through said cooling meansand then through said stream, whereby said recesses are covered with alayer of coating material.

2. A machine for forming a hollow container for confectionery,comprising, a suitable casing, a cooling apparatus, a trackway passingthrough and connecting .said casing and said apparatus, a seriesofboards on said trackway, each formed with rows of recesses in the underside thereof, a plurality of nozzles adjustably mounted in said casingand below said boards, means for forcing streams of coating materialthrough said nozzles, and means to propel said boards through saidcooling apparatus, whereby they are chilled, and thereafter through saidcasing and across said streams, whereby the coating material'strikingagainst said recesses is congealed forming a hollow container.

3; A machine for forming a hollow container for confectionery,comprising, a suitable casing, a coolingapparatus, a trackway passingthrough and connecting said casing and said apparatus, a series ofboards on said trackway, each formed with rows of recesses in the underside thereof, a plurality of nozzles in the casing below said boards, asuitable kettle in said casing adapted to contain the coating material,a pump, suitable connecting means between said kettle and, said pump andbetween said pump and said nozzles, said pump adapted to force streamsof coating material through said nozzles, and means to propel saidboards through said cooling apparatus and thereafter through said casingand across said streams.

l. A machine for forming a hollow container for confectionery,comprising, a suitable casing, a cooling apparatus, a trackway passingthrough and connecting said casing and said apparatus, a series ofboards on said trackway, each formed with rows of recesses in the underside thereof, a plurality of nozzles in the casing below said boards, asuitable kettle in said casing adapted to contain the coating material,a pump, suitable connecting means between said kettle and said pump andbetween said pump and said nozzles, said pump adapted to force streamsof coating material through said nozzles, and variable speed devices tomove said boards in a continuous series through said cooling apparatusand thereafter through said casing and across said streams.

A machine for forming a hollow container for confectionery, comprising,a feeding and propelling device, a cooling apparatus and a coatingchamber arranged in the sequence named, a trackway extending from saiddevice through said apparatus and through said chamber, mold boardsadapted to move on said trackway and formed with recesses in the undersides thereof, a plurality of nozzles in said chamber arranged below andtransversely to the path of said boards, a kettle for coating materialin said ing material may drain back into said kettle.'

(3. A machine for forming a hollow container for confectionery,comprising, a feeding device, a cooling apparatus and a coating chamberarranged in the sequence named, mold boards having. recesses and anozzle in said chamber through which a stream of coating material may beforced, said device arranged to move the mold boards through saidapparatus and thereafter through said chamber with their recesses on theunderside thereof and across said stream, all constructed and arrangedso that the molds are chilled and so that the coating material striking.against said recesses 1is congealed to form a hollowcontainer.

OSCAR F. GRANLUND.

